Harvard Theater
21 N. Ayer Street,
Harvard,
IL
60033
21 N. Ayer Street,
Harvard,
IL
60033
1 person
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Husband and wife team Mr. Eugene E. Saunders and Mrs. Bertha Saunders operated the Palace Theatre and original Saunders Theatre. They opened here as the New Saunders Theatre on December 15, 1925 replacing the original venue at a cost of $50,000. William Ward Construction tore down Haffner’s Saloon to create the new-build Saunders. The New Saunders opened with 350 seats. Harvard Mayor Colonel Joseph S. Maxon made an opening presentation prior to “The King on Main Street.” They added Western Electric Sound - a $15,000 investment - to remain commercially viable. Because Bertha objected to the smell of popcorn popping, Jay Vorhees operated a popcorn cart outside of the New Saunders.
“Gone with the Wind” was the only reserved seat film in the Saunders history - its biggest title. The Saunders' box office also offered notary services, hunting and fishing licenses, license plate service, and even check cashing to remain a part of the community. Bertha Saunders sold the venue to Harvard Theater Corporation headed by Bill Johnson in November of 1947 citing television as both a concern and different from theatrically exhibited films. A refresh bumped up seat count to 400. Alliance Amusement closed just prior to the end of its lease citing a $100 weekly loss versus a $300 monthly leasing obligation into Fall of 1965. It closed with “Under The Yum Yum Tree” on February 9, 1964. The Republican Party sublet the venue through November of 1964.
The theatre mounted an unlikely comeback costing $175,000 including 400 new cushioned seats and brand new automated projection gear. Bob and Roberta C. “Bobbie” Hume of Hume Inc. rebranded as the Harvard Theatre (#2 - as the original Opera House had been named the Harvard Theatre for its final three years of operation). The new Harvard opened on February 27, 1970 with “Doctor Zhivago.” By that summer, they were showing family films - including free merchant kiddy matinees for two years - on weekends and adult content at night. The Humes sublet the venue after showtimes of July 31, 1975 to Rockford’s Steven R. Yates and William H. Seaton who took the film full-time porno chic. They started the next day with the marquee reading: “Under New Management… Adult Hits… Double Feature… Rated X” at their lunch as The Show on August 1, 1975. The Humes exhausted a list of other potential exhibitors before allowing the transition. The films stopped in 1980 at the end of a 5-year sublease. On December 31, 1980, the theater rebranded to the Harvard Theatre with Antioch’s Ken Lyday trying a discount policy.
The Harvard closed with “The Watcher in the Woods” November 1, 1981. The next film was everyone’s favorite, “Closed for Repairs” (the heating system). That proved to be too expensive. Not finding another operator, the theatre’s 50+ year run was done. In June of 1983, it had been removed for opening of the D. & E. Meat Market.
After the Saunders Theatre closed in 1969, February 23rd, 1970 marks the reopening to the Harvard Theatre which only lasted for 4 years and 2 months during its first-run attractions until April 1974. In April 1974, X-Rated movies begin playing at the Harvard Theatre and was a huge success. The Harvard Theatre changed its name to The Show in Harvard on September 18th, 1975.
However in 1981, The Show in Harvard then was later changed its name back to the Harvard Theatre and turned upside-down big time and went back to its original first-run attractions. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a failure-in-disgrace for the city and the theater ended up closing in 1982.
September 18th, 1975 grand opening ad as The Show in Harvard can be found in the photo section. Adult movies were shown.
The Google view has it right. It’s the tall building in the center.
Oh, wait. Midnight Cowboy came out in 1969. The book was from 1965.
In any case, the 1970 article said that the theater had been closed for several years before reopening that year as the Harvard Theatre, and it wasn’t a cheap remodel. The Harvard was a first-run theater. What film got the shorts of the local police in a wad in 1972 I don’t know, but there were plenty of mainstream Hollywood movies then that could have had such an effect in a small town.
I don’t think the theater was actually showing pornography in 1965. I think the charge was probably over one of the early X-rated movies, perhaps Midnight Cowboy. The local officials of this small town were most likely a bit overwrought.
Boxoffice of December 6, 1947, said that the Saunders Theatre had been taken over from Bertha Saunders by the Papas brothers and their father, John. The theater was to be remodeled and renamed the Harvard. Apparently they changed their minds about the renaming. Perhaps they decided it was cheaper to refurbish the existing signage. As I found C.J. Papas mentioned in Boxoffice as owner of the Saunders as early as 1943, the 1947 item must have meant that Bertha Saunders had sold the building to them.
A November 7, 1942, Boxoffice item says “C.J. Chapin has resigned as manager of the Saunders Theatre in Harvard after being associated with its operation for 35 years.” If there is no error in that report, that would push the opening of the theater back to at least 1907.
Eventually, the Saunders did get renamed the Harvard Theatre. Boxoffice of April 29, 1969, made the announcement that Robert and Roberta Hume of Harvard would renovate and reopen the old Saunders Theatre, which had been closed for several years.
A Boxoffice article of March 23, 1970, says that the Harvard Theatre had opened on February 23, after a year of remodeling which converted it into a “…luxurious 400-seat showhouse.” The last mention of the Harvard Theatre I’ve found is in Boxoffice of September 18, 1972, when operator Hume, Inc., was charged with showing an obscene film. The name of the film was not given, but the address was given as 21 N. Ayer Street. (I checked Google and sure enough, there’s no “s” on the street name.)
The current occupant of the building at 21 N. Ayer Street is a restaurant called Pico de Gallo, according to the Internets. On Google Street View it looks like a single floor, but the 1970 item about the Harvard Theatre said there was a balcony. Perhaps the upper floor has been chopped off, or maybe it was actually in the two-story building next door (probably 23 N. Ayer) and Boxoffice was off a bit.
I think they got the information for the motion picture almanacs about six months ahead of time, so it could have closed in 1970. I’ve seen a few 1970 entries where the theater had already been demolished the year before.
In 1970 the Saunders was operated by the Alliance Amusement Co. President was Spiro J. Papas.