Gayety Theatre
9205 S. Commercial Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60617
9205 S. Commercial Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60617
2 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Indiana-Illinois Theaters
Architects: Lawrence Monberg
Firms: Monberg & Wagner
Previous Names: Teatro Gayety
Nearby Theaters
The Gayety Theatre opened in 1908 as a vaudeville and motion picture theatre, later changing over to movies only.
The Gayety Theatre was located on S. Commerical Avenue, the South Chicago neighborhood’s main retail district. Next door to the theatre was the equally-popular Gayety Soda Shop. The theatre was remodelled in 1937 to the plans of Chicago based architect Lawrence Monberg of architectural firm Monberg & Wagner.
On October 21, 1952, the Gayety Theatre switched from first-run features to Spanish-language films, reflecting the change in the populace of the neighborhood from heavily Eastern European to mainly Latino. It was from then on called the Teatro Gayety until April 7, 1955. The theatre was given a refresh and reopened on June 24, 1955 as the Gayety Theatre screening Richard Todd in “A Man Called Peter” & Guy Madison in “The Charge at Feather River”. In later years it went back to Spanish Language movies as the Teatro Gayety.
An arson fire gutted the Teatro Gayety in May of 1982, and the theatre was demolished not long after, replaced by a parking lot for a newly built McDonald’s restaurant.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
After the fire:
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I remember watching several movies in Spanish with my friends and girlfriends at the Gayety Theater on Commercial Avenue. Mr. Henry Mendoza, whose mother worked there as a cashier, was the manager of my band, The Tellstars, and he got us a gig performing at the theater.
I was sad to see that an arson fire gutted the theater in May 1982, and it was demolished soon thereafter to make way for McDonald’s Theater. The only remaining area theater at that time was the Chelten Theater on South Exchange Avenue, which eventually suffered the same fate.(The Commercial Theater, located one block north of the Gayety Theater, had already been torn down to make way for a mini-mall in 1969.)
For additional comments/stories regarding these theaters, please visit [url=http://www.tellstars.com.
(Click players.)
Mike Roman, Esq.
Chicago, Illinois
Another one burnt up or down I should say.
From the 1950s a postcard view of the Gayety Theatre in Chicago.
What a great candy colored postcard pic. Sign and cartoons are classic.
Just added a Mother’s Day 1949 photo credit and courtesy of Gayety’s Ice Cream Parlor. Via their Facebook page. Now in Lansing Illinois, Gayety’s was originally next door to the Gayety Theatre. I also added another photo of the postcard, that they have hanging on their milk shake machine.
Gayety’s website also has a small photo in a collage. Copy & paste to view.
http://www.gayetys.com/about/history/
Circa 1965 photo added courtesy of Scott Orsi.
The end of Gayety’s last shop.
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/10/23/gayetys-set-to-close/
On October 21, 1952, the venue became Teatro Gayety. showing Spanish language films through April 7, 1955. After a refresh, the venue was returned to Hollywood fare as the Gayety Theatre on June 24, 1955 with “A Man Called Peter” and “The Charge of Feather River.” It then switched back to Spanish language films often called Teatro Gayety and also the Gayety Theatre.