Mimi Ohio Theatre

Thanks to HowardBHaas for letting us know about that article. I note that Evergreen Painting Studios of New York is involved with the Ohio lobby project. Evergreen was involved with the restoration portion of the 1990 plexing of what became the Village East Cinemas, and did a lot of work on the 1996 main lobby renovation of the Loews 84th Street, both in Manhattan.

In the past couple days on WCPN-FM 90.3 someone was interviewing a woman previously associated with The Front Row theater and presently involved in some capacity with Playhouse Square. I wasn’t really paying attention so I didn’t take note of the names. My ears perked up, however, when the woman from Playhouse Square stated that the State Theater will be closed for a while for re-painting. She then stated that the lobby of the Ohio Theater is going to be demolished and re-built as it was before fire gutted it in the 1960s, which for the most part was the way it was at the 1922 grand opening. The photo on the overview page here is the way it was in 1922. After the fire in the ‘60s Loews re-built it as a typical modern suburban mall theater lobby with red walls, red carpet and flat acoustic tile ceiling with recessed can-lights. The theater by then was on its downhill trajectory (and would finally shut down in 1969) so not a lot of dollars or brain cells were expended on post-fire repairs. Playhouse Square’s remodeling was nice, but in no way resembled the original.

September 23rd, 1943 grand opening ad as a movie theatre has been uploaded in the photo section

Yes, CLEOPATRA played road show at the Ohio. Others besides, SOUTH PACIFIC, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, the TEN COMMANDMENTS were BEN-HUR, WEST SIDE STORY, EXODUS, STAR!, DOCTOR DOLITTLE, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, KING OF KINGS. I think BEN HUR had the longest run.

Did Cleopatra play the Ohio, does anyone know? I dont remember it playing there. (But I dont remember where it played if not, either).

Renewing link.

The Ohio did not show any Cinerama films, but was in the late 1950s and 60s a 70mm roadshow house especially for films in Todd-AO. I remember seeing “South Pacific” there. Cinerama was housed first at the Palace, then at the Great Northern, and finally at the State.

Did this theatre ever promote itself as a Cinerama theatre? The book Cleveland’s Playhouse Square, has a picture of the Palace Cinerama theatre and below it says “The State and the Ohio also showed Cinerama films”.

You’re welcome!

A book entitled “Cleveland’s Playhouse Square” by Patricia M. Mote chronicles in words and photographs the Loew’s State & Ohio, RKO Allen & Palace and Hanna theaters from their opening in the 1920s through 2006. It can be found in the Local Interest section of Cleveland area bookstores, and for those not in the area it can be ordered from the publisher at the following website:
View link

This is a 1932 photo from the Cleveland Public Library:
http://tinyurl.com/f5glm

The address listed above is wrong. It can’t be 1260 Euclid Ave. if the State Theatre is 1519 Euclid and the Palace is 1615 Euclid and all three are on the same side of the street. It therefore has to be an uneven number. Does anyone know?

Lost Memory: Do you know if the organ that was installed in 1921 at a cost of $6450.00 is still in the Ohio Theater? And what about the Palace in Cleveland, too?