Oak Theatre

The redevelopment will be a five-story building with 20 residential units and street-level retail. Block Club Chicago story here.

Hi Linda! Glad you reposted. I saved the pictures (❤️) since I figured they’d be removed but didn’t think I’d need to save the text so glad it’s back. I love reading first hand accounts.

The drive-thru bank on the Oak Theatre site is now permanently closed. Likely the victim of the 5/3rd Bank takeover of MB, who consolidated former MB locations and closed others completely.

Not surprised the photos posted by the former Oak stripper were removed but wished her (text) reminiscences could have remained.

Newspaper ads for this theater list the address as 2004 N. Western, but papers have been known to make mistakes. See posted ad in the “Photo” section.

Ran across this 1992 Tribune article about the Oak’s then conversion to a music venue. Further proof on how sadly short that incarnation was to last.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-03-03/news/9201200335_1_sun-ra-texas-tornados-national-trade-magazine

Does anyone remember the recorded messages from the late 1970s-early 1980s? You would call the phone number listed in the movie ad and you’d get the Oak Girl saying something like “Hello honey? I thought you’d never call! I’m at the Oak Theater… the show’s so good… I’ll be waiting honey!” and other messages to that effect. Apparently these were so popular that the tapes would wear out, and until the “Oak Girl” could record a new one, a man would give a general description of the theater and movies.

   During the War Years 1941-1945 and before the Korean War, the Oak Theater not only showed movies of the day but had Stage Shows as well. 
                

This was during the time between the Vaudeville and Television eras, which was called the Golden Years of Movies, but the Oak Theater and a few others in Chicago, were still trying to cater to both the movie and live entertainment audiences. I can’t remember exactly how many nights a week there was live entertainment but it wasn’t every night like the Downtown venues, the Chicago, State and Lake and the Oriental Theaters. Their stage shows ran seven days a week, several times a day and night, and drew some of the top names in Radio and Movies of the day.

   My sister and I were on the circuit that included the Oak Theater with, what was called a Song and Dance Novelty Act, and we played it several times around the end of World War Two. We also played dates on just about every Saturday night at some Elks, Moose, Eagles, VFW or American Legion Hall somewhere in the city, or one of the nearby suburbs. We also entertained at the Naval Hospital at Great Lakes Navel Training Station for the wounded coming back from overseas.
                   Then came Television and that form of entertainment quickly went away. I left Chicago in 1952 at the request of my Uncle Sam and became a United States Marine, stationed in California, never to see my home town again, but I never forgot the Oak Theater and its dressing rooms back stage, and waiting in the wings to go on. We always got a warm welcome there. 
                   It was the best of times.
                

Well I remember Oak theatre so so well !!! Many good times there as a little girl .Used to go with my Mom and Dad with all of us children , this was their night out , and guess what the movies were silent movies ,with Valentinoand many others,I was so young could.nt read the lines in the picture , but still seemed to understand the movie. Later in my life as we grew up ,that was where I watched the first talkie. As children we would save the “nickel to go to the Saturday special of 20 cartoons and some live entertainment, dancers , magicians, even the chiquita banana , lady Carmen Miranda ,I remember seeing Roy Rogers also , and especially Cisco kid , she Miranda , was very famous and well known especially as"the chiquita Banana lady” the song she sang then. We did'nt have a TV, not until 1952. Times were tough then.

THe Oak,,OMG,, I REMEMBER IT WELL,,I FIRST WENT TO THE OAK,,IN FEB,1982 THATS WHEN I TURNED 18 ,ON THE MARQUIE IT SAID HAD TO BE 18 TO ENTER,,SO ME AND A FRIEND FROM HIGHSCHOOL ,, DECIDED WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE OAK WAS LIKE ,,WE,VE SEEN THE PLACE A MILLION TIMES ,, BUT NEVER TRIED TO GET IN,,SO ON THE MONTH OF MY BIRTHDAY ,,WITH ID,S IN POCKET WE CREPT UP TO THE INTRANCE BEING CARE NOT TO BE SPOTTED BY ANYONE WE KNEW,SPORTING DARK,SUNGLASES (AT NIGHT),AND OUR MEMBERS ONLY JACKETS ,WE BOUGHT TICKETS ,WE DIDDNT EVEN GET ASKED FOR OUR ID,S ,,I REMEMBER THE 2 MOVIES ( THE BANGKOK CONNECTION,,AND SCRUPLES ) WE SAT IN THE 1ST ROW DECKED OUT IN NEW LEE JEANS POLO SHIRTS AND OUR JACKETS AND SUNGLASSES STILL ON ,NERVEOUS AS HELL,,, SURROUNDED BY ALL OLDER MEN IN THERE LATE 40,S AND 50,S ,,THE DANCERS WERE FUNNY ALL OLDER WOMEN ,,OLDER THAN US ,WE ONLY REMOVED THE GLASSES TO GET A GOOD LOOK AT THERE BREASTS ,THEN WE PUT THEM BACK ON,,I DONT REMEMBER IF IT WAS AT THE END OR DURING INTERMISSION,, THEY HAD SOME YOUNG PORN ACTRESS ,,THERE FOR PHOTOS ,,A LITTLE GIRL,BUT CUTE ,,FOR $5.00 SHE WOULD SIT ON YOUR LAP,HER ARM AROUND YOUR NECK,AND YOUR HAND AROUND HER WAIST,,LATER IN THE YEAR OF 1992 ,I HAD A NEW GIRLFRIEND ( WIFE NOW) WHO LIKED BAD BOY BLUES THEY WERE THERE LIVE ,,WE DIDDNT GET A CHANCE TO GO REGRETABLE,,SHORTLY AFTER THAT CLOSED DOWN,,SOMETIMES WE STILL GO TO MARGIES CANDIES ,,I WILL LOOK AT THE SMALL DRIVE THRU BANK AND REMEMBER THE OAK,VERY COOL MEMMORIES THANKS,,MATT

@Oak Theater:

I’m putting a gift together for someone of ‘The Oak’ and I would love to use any photos you have..I posted a piece I had drawn of ‘The Oak’ to use as the centerpiece of the gift. And, I found some photos here and online. But, I would love to have more.

Hey everyone. I am working on a project to document the history of adult theatres in the US. If anyone has any memories of the Oak they would be willing to share, please contact me at

HughJazz – if you see this, I’d love to talk to you. I would love to talk with some people who worked at these places. I’ve read your posts and it sounds like you have lots of stories.

SusanLocke, I did not attend Chase school, but I am in your “age group”. You are so lucky to have seen some of our TV Western Heroes in person! Here is some additional info: Duncan Renaldo, who played Cisco, was born in Romania. he often played “Ethnic” characters in the movies, including a WW2 Japanese Diplomat in two “Three Stooges” shorts. Leo Carillo was over seventy years old when he played “Pancho. On the Island of Hawaii, many celebrities, including Leo Carillo, have had "Banyan Trees” planted in their name on “Banyan Drive” Each banyan has a sign in front, including one for Leo. I may still have the photos somewhere. I went to McPherson Elem (1956-1965)and Amundsen HS(1965 to 1969) and lived in the Lincoln Square neighborhood at the time.